New direction for treating lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85 percent of all lung cancer cases and has a high mortality rate, underscoring the need for new treatments. Ambra Pozzi, Ph.D., and colleagues report in the Jan. 15 issue of Cancer Research that activation of the protein PPAR-alpha represents a new avenue for treating NSCLC growth and progression.

The investigators previously showed that activation of PPAR-alpha reduces the expression of the P450 enzyme Cyp2c44 and its production of lipids that promote blood vessel development (angiogenesis). They now demonstrate in two mouse models that PPAR-alpha activators reduce primary and metastatic NSCLC growth and that these effects are associated with a reduction in Cyp2c44 expression and in the levels of its pro-angiogenic products.

The findings suggest that strategies to reduce Cyp2c expression and/or activity – including activation of PPAR-alpha – may offer new treatment options for NSCLC. One of the tested PPAR-alpha activators (bezafibrate) is already approved for lipidemia and could be quickly evaluated for its potential in lung cancer.